3-4T/H Pet Food Production Machine in Canada

Customer Profile and Purchase Motivation

The Canadian client is a specialized pet food manufacturer focused on producing premium dog and cat food for both domestic and export markets. Their existing line utilized an older single-screw extruder, which limited the range of formulas and pellet textures they could produce.

With growing consumer demand for fresh meat inclusion and complex formulations, they needed a machine capable of processing multiple raw materials, improving product texture, and achieving higher gelatinization rates.

After extensive consultation with RICHI’s technical engineers, the client selected the SPHS120*2 twin-screw pet food extruder, which offers a production capacity of 3.0–4.0 T/H, perfectly suited for their mid-scale operation.

The client was impressed by RICHI’s proven experience in supplying extrusion systems to North American clients and by the company’s capability to customize solutions for regional raw materials and energy standards.

Equipment Details and Technical Specifications

For this Canadian project, the client purchased the RICHI SPHS120*2 twin-screw pet food extruder, featuring:

• Main motor power: 110 kW
• Screw diameter: 120 mm
• Feeder motor power: 1.5 kW
• Conditioner power: 11 kW
• Differential conditioner power: 11 kW
• Production capacity: 3.0–4.0 tons/hour

This configuration was chosen because it provides sufficient output to meet the customer’s current market needs while leaving room for future growth. The twin-screw structure enables superior mixing, cooking, and expansion performance, ensuring consistent pellet quality across different recipes.

Raw Materials and Formulation Considerations

In Canada, pet food manufacturers often rely on locally available ingredients such as:

• Fresh chicken meat and offal
• Salmon and other fish meal (abundant in coastal provinces)
• Pea protein and lentils (common Canadian pulses)
• Potato starch and sweet potato flour
• Poultry fat and canola oil
• Vitamin and mineral premixes

The client’s formulations focus on high-protein, grain-free dog food with moisture levels between 8–10% after drying. The pet food production machine in Canada needed to handle a diverse ingredient mix with varying moisture and fat contents. The RICHI twin-screw design ensures optimal processing of these challenging materials, allowing precise control of cooking and expansion for different kibble sizes ranging from 4 mm to 12 mm.

Operational Advantages and Process Description

The new RICHI pet food extruder allows the Canadian client to produce a broader range of pet diets—from small cat kibble to large-breed dog food—without frequent mechanical adjustments. During production, the raw materials are fed into the pre-conditioner, where they are mixed with steam for pre-cooking.

The twin screws then transport and shear the material under controlled temperature and pressure conditions, causing starch gelatinization and protein denaturation. This process ensures excellent digestibility and flavor.

After extrusion, pellets are dried in a hot-air dryer to reduce moisture to safe storage levels, and then coated with fats and palatants to enhance aroma and palatability. The SPHS120*2 twin-screw extruder provides stable performance with low energy consumption, significantly improving output quality compared to the previous single-screw system.

Applications Beyond Pet Food

While primarily used for pet food, the customer also explored the versatility of the RICHI pet food production machine for producing small-batch floating fish feed for local aquaculture farms. This flexibility adds value to the investment, allowing the client to diversify production during off-peak seasons.

The RICHI twin-screw extruder’s adaptable control system can easily switch between recipes for cat food, dog food, and fish feed, with adjustments in temperature, screw speed, and moisture. This multipurpose capability further enhances the profitability and sustainability of the operation.

Why the Customer Chose RICHI Machinery

1. Robust and Proven Technology: RICHI’s twin-screw pet food extruder integrates European extrusion technology with localized engineering adaptations, ensuring long-term stability under Canadian working conditions.
2. Comprehensive After-Sales Support: RICHI provided remote commissioning guidance, process training, and recipe optimization assistance. The company’s North American service partners ensured quick response times for technical support.
3. Energy Efficiency: The RICHI SPHS120*2 extruder features precise energy control and a highly efficient steam utilization system, reducing operational costs.
4. Customizable Solutions: RICHI engineers adapted the machine configuration to match the client’s 575V/60Hz power system and regional safety regulations.

Impact on Production and Business Outcomes

• Production capacity increased by 60%, meeting growing market demand without needing to build a new factory.
• Product uniformity and texture improved, resulting in higher acceptance rates among pet owners and distributors.
• The machine’s twin-screw configuration enabled consistent production even when using high-fat or high-moisture raw materials, reducing downtime.
• The company expanded its market share in Western Canada and started exporting to the U.S. Northwest.

The pet food production machine in Canada has become a vital addition to their facility, ensuring stable, high-quality output and setting the foundation for long-term business growth.

RICHI’s Professional Support and Ongoing Cooperation

RICHI Machinery continues to provide the client with recipe optimization services, spare parts supply, and maintenance training. The client has expressed interest in purchasing an additional RICHI pet food dryer and fat coating system to further automate their line in the coming year.

This collaboration highlights RICHI’s commitment to building long-term partnerships rather than simple equipment transactions. The professional guidance, installation support, and process know-how offered by RICHI have made the client confident in expanding their cooperation for future pet feed technology upgrades.

Conclusion: Driving Innovation in the Canadian Pet Food Sector

This successful case of a pet food production machine in Canada demonstrates RICHI Machinery’s ability to tailor equipment to diverse market needs. Whether producing dry dog food, cat kibble, or functional treats, RICHI’s twin-screw pet food extruder, pet food pelletizer, and pet feed processing machine solutions offer unmatched flexibility, energy efficiency, and reliability.

As the Canadian pet food market continues to evolve toward sustainability and premiumization, RICHI Machinery stands ready to support manufacturers with state-of-the-art extrusion technology and complete production line solutions designed for success.